Grand Nordic Corner: Local results and upcoming events

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Skinny on school Nordic SkiingMPHS Nordic Ski Team Earns League Award at High School State Championship Feb 14 &15 YMCAThe Panther skiers finished the season by hosting the State Championships on their home course at Snow Mountain Ranch, February 14th and 15th.The MPHS women finished in eighth place as a team in Thursday's interval start skate race. Seniors Sera Smith, Elly Zietz, Amelia Clancy, and Kaylene Loo finished in 12th, 36th, 41st and 43rd places, respectively, followed by freshman Rowen Gallagher in 45th, and junior Jenna Curran in 47th place.Senior captain Taber Miyauchi led the men with a career best finish against the field in the skate race, finishing 8th, followed by junior Steve Simmons 18th, freshman Simon Zink 25th, freshman Logan Miyauchi 34th, sophomore Daniel Kopp 46th, and sophomore Kip Dearduff 54th. The Panther men finished in 4th place as a team.On Friday, the teams fought blowing snow in the mass start classic race, with the MPHS women finishing 7th overall as a team. Smith led the women with a 17th place finish, followed by senior Abrah Masterson in 25th place, Clancy 41st and Curran 43rd.The Panther men were just 2 points shy of the team podium on Friday, with a fourth place overall team finish. Taber Miyauchi again had a career best 8th place finish, followed by Simmons, again in a very consistent 18th place, Kopp was 35th, and senior Joe Rupp followed with a 53rd place finish.The MPHS Nordic men were awarded the third place team award for the skate discipline for their overall season results by the Colorado High School Ski League. Thanks to coach Dave Zink for reporting the meets this season. Thanks to all the volunteers helping at every meet this season and the two-day State Meet held at the YMCA.EGMS Cubs at Aspen Feb 9The EGMS girls team turned in a solid 3rd place finish (out of 6 teams) with Darby Howard the top finisher for the Cubs (13th place). She was followed closely by 6th grade phenom Elizabeth Barker in 16th place overall. Maddie Hill completed her nordic season in 17th place, and Bixby Daugherty placed 21st. Other Cubs racers were Emily Hoffmeister (23rd), Maykayla Olinger, Leah Olinger, Morgan Krostue & Neva Meindl (places 27-30). What a great race to end the 2013 season! With the clouds, then sun, heat, then cold, the changing snow conditions called for some tricky wax application and a different hill climbing strategy. Eleven teams participated in the boys race and so the second place Cub Boys finish was a fabulous way to end the season. The boys team pulled in points from some steadily improving skiers to finish second to Aspen Middle School. Theo Loo was once again the Cubs top finisher in 8th place. Chase Dornbush, in 13th and Will Delay, in 16th, were the next two Cub skiers to score points for the team. Laim Fuqua (18th), Jensen Hill (20th), Sebastian Brower (21st) and Ryan Lane (26th) all skied strong races. Other EGMS skiers who raced so hard that they had to shed their hats during the race were Corbin Frick (30th), Wil Cleveland (32nd), Braden Markle (33rd), Jake Bolen (34th), Brendan O'Toole (35th), Aaron Sanders (36yh) and Evan Olson (37th) Both girls and boys teams displayed steady improvement over the short, seven week season and will hope to build on their new found ski skills in the 2014 ski season. All these team kids at both the High School and Middle School level are to be praised for their dedication. They are the ones to watch in the coming years. Thanks so much to the tireless coaches who work with them and provide me with this information on the results and the parents and mentors who encourage them.Madshus Snow Mountain StampedePlan for March 2-3 at the Madshus Snow Mtn Stampede Marathon - 42K, 21K, 10K, and kids races. The two-day format worked so well last year that it is being repeated. Again, there will be a Grand Nordic sponsored dinner available with bonfire Saturday night. This is the biggest event of the year to either race in or spectate. Visit madsync.net to register or call the Nordic Center for more information.Grnd Lake Nordic CenterEnjoy the scenic views of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Arapahoe National Forest at the Grand Lake Nordic Center. The nordic center offers the beginner to advanced skier a variety of terrain on 35 km of classic and skate skiing trails. The terrain and trails are also excellent for snowshoeing, and we have a dedicated dog loop and kid's tubing hill! The GLMRD Nordic Center is a full-service, outdoor winter destination featuring our ski and snowshoe rentals, lessons, a retail shop, and a winter soup kitchen at the Lodge. And this Saturday, February 23, enjoy Moonlight skiing with campfire, hot cocoa & marshmallows and Chili served in the lodge until 7:30 p.m. Check out the website www.grandlakeski.com for details.Fraser to Granby TrailConditions are great on the entire trail from the Winter Park Resort to Val Moritz and Granby Ranch. Grooming is done by volunteers when possible but have patience as much of the trail is very affected by the blowing snow. All sections are open for XC skiing, snowshoeing or just plain walking with your dog! Please observe dog leash restriction in the Beavers area and pick up after your pooch. We have opened a trail from Val Moritz toward Granby Ranch to connect with their XC trails and the Lodge. Also the top of Cty Rd 87 to the XC trails at Sol Vista is good walking or snowshoeing. Logs are being taken out on the road so skiing is difficult. Parking is available at the top of 87 and Sol Vista welcomes you to their XC trails. Watch out for falling and fallen trees - we have removed so many but they keep coming down. If you can volunteer to help, please call Andy Miller at 726-4099 or Diana Lynn Rau at 887-0547. Above all, be courteous to landowners and respect private property. More on how this great community resource was developed and is currently maintained next week.